With the World Rugby Under 20 Championship fast approaching, Trinity Sport Scholar and Global Business student Paddy McCarthy is looking forward to playing for the Ireland U20s in the first Rugby World Cup since 2019. The Championship, which is being hosted in South Africa this year, begins on Saturday, 24th June with McCarthy and the Irish Rugby squad set to play England in the opening match. McCarthy and his teammates are coming off a successful run at the Six Nations Championships and are confident they can build on that success during the World Rugby Championship.
“It was an experience of a lifetime. The tournament couldn't have gone better in terms of the result but obviously there was ups and downs within that that you don’t see.” McCarthy commented recalling the Six Nations Championships. “We had a talented group. It’s a great honour for Irish rugby and I’m very privileged to be involved in the Irish squad.” Now, he hopes the team can come back together in their training camps and work hard towards another tournament success.
“We must progress, we can’t just stay as we are, we need to keep getting better. The coaching staff for the Under 20 Irish squad are ruthless in their video analysis and things like that so even if we get a good result or win, we’re always trying to improve. We need to be on our best game.” Ireland will go on to face Australia and Fiji in the days following the start of the tournament, two teams that will provide some challenge for the Irish team. McCarthy commented “Australia, they’ll bring a different kind of skill set to what we’ve seen in the Six Nations, so the World Cup is definitely a step up.”
While McCarthy focuses heavily on his flourishing career in rugby, he is also a dedicated student of the Trinity Business school. In the midst of matches and camps, McCarthy made sure to set aside time to focus on his studies and make his Global Business Studies coursework a priority with the support of professors and tutors at Trinity. “This year has been such a busy time with camps, preparing for the Six Nations and the World Cup. It was important to me to pursue my studies alongside a professional career [in rugby]. Trinity has been a great place to do that. As a Sports Scholar, I’m well supported by the sports tutor here. Donncdha Carroll really helped me work with the professors and the professors have been a great help as well. The Sports Scholar programme at Trinity is excellent if you want to pursue a dual career in sports and studies.”
McCarthy is one of three Trinity Rugby players participating in the Under 20 Rugby World Cup Championship as he is joined by teammates Dan Barron and Matthew Lynch. His success in his rugby career runs in the family as his older brother Joe, who also is a Global Business Student at Trinity College Dublin, was selected for the senior Irish Rugby training squad who are currently preparing for the Rugby World Cup which will be held in France this year.
The World Rugby Under 20 Championship will begin on 24th June with the final match being played 14th July. Ireland will play their first match against England on Saturday, 24th June at 12:30 and will go on to play Australia on Thursday, 29th June at 10:00. They will then play Fiji on Tuesday, 4th July at 12:30 in their final pool match prior to the semi-final round. All of Ireland's games in South Africa will be broadcasted live on Virgin Media Television.
Ireland Rugby U20s Fixtures:
• Saturday 24th June: Ireland U20s v England U20s, Paarl Gymnasium, Paarl – 1.30pm local time/12.30pm Irish time
• Thursday 29th June: Ireland U20s v Australia U20s, Paarl Gymnasium, Paarl – 11am local time/10am Irish time
• Tuesday 4th July: Ireland U20s v Fiji U20s, Paarl Gymnasium, Paarl – 1.30pm local time/12.30pm Irish time
• Sunday 9th July: Play-off match
• Friday 14th July: Play-off match